by ashitaka 13 Replies latest jw friends
Hey people, some of the posts recently are a little suspicious. Don't post name of people unless you REALLY want to. Technically, if you name names, they can come after you for libel, methinks.
Am I wrong on this?
I just think we should show a little more caution with people we've never met. Remember, even when you were a brainwashed JW, you still believed that some JW's were not to be trusted. The same goes for ex-JW's.
ashi
i think you hit the nail on the head, ashi.
Hi Ashitaka:
Don't post name of people unless you REALLY want to. Technically, if you name names, they can come after you for libel, methinks. Am I wrong on this?
Libel depends on a few things. If the statement about the person named is not true and causes them harm, then yes, they can always bring suit. The truth is always the best, whether on the offensive or defensive, because it is almost impossible to bring suit against the truth, especially when you can prove it.
I just think we should show a little more caution with people we've never met. Remember, even when you were a brainwashed JW, you still believed that some JW's were not to be trusted. The same goes for ex-JW's.I agree with caution. One of the reasons for screen names is just such protection. This is why some sanitize real accounts by altering times, dates, places, and names ... to protect the innocent, as well as themselves. Also, keeps any WTS monitors guessing.
ashitaka
Very wise
Jesus Christ
Amazing,
Of course, the truth of the subject IS the truth, but who would want the hassle of defending themselves in court, creating more hurt in their lives?
Their families who wouldn't have shunned them before would certainly throw them away, even if they were telling the truth about their 'brothers'.
I just said on the 'name bad elders' thread, that I just don't want to see good people screwed.
I've been posting less because I've been pretty nervous about this place. I'm just happy I haven't given my last name to anyone.
ashi
If you're talking about the threads about bad CO's DO's, etc. I think it is highly unlikely that even (or especially) the worst of them would have any recourse against a poster here.
Remember Ashi, the world has much higher standards about what constitutes slander than the borg does.
True, six....I guess I'm just paranoid.
ashi
saying that someone likes to molest little children is probably considered slander anywhere.
Even if its true, and 100% accurate, which means libel has not occurred, there is something else that you can be accused of: Invasion of Privacy. This applies to internet postings as well. Here is an example
In another case, an author described a hijacking from 11 years earlier. The hijacker had begun a normal life and fallen out of public view. Although he could not claim libel because truth is a total defense, he accused the writer of invading his privacy and won the right to sue. So long as the former hijacker did not seek the public spotlight, he was deemed a private person. There was no public interest in revealing his prior life of crime. If there is no vital reason for revealing someone's criminal past, leave it alone.
